Pride of Britain: Manchester landlady Tracey Walsh raises £250,000 for LGBTQ+ charities

• Video report by ITV Granada Reports presenter Zoe Muldoon.

The landlady of an iconic bar in Manchester's Gay Village has been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award for raising more than £250,000 for LGBTQ+ charities.

Tracey Walsh, who is from Stockport, has been a shining light in Bloom Street's New York, New York bar for the last three decades.

Called a "local legend", she is credited with having a huge impact on the community by providing a safe, welcoming space for everyone.

Tracey has raised money for countless charities over the years and says she "never misses an opportunity to shake her bucket" and fundraise.

Tracey began raising money for aids charities in 1989 after seeing the devastating impact of the illness on one of her staff members.

"I went to see him at Crumpsall Hospital in Manchester", Tracey said. "I couldn't believe that six weeks earlier he had been behind my bar.

"The virus had developed into a brain virus and it was absolutely heartbreaking. What was more heartbreaking was that there was nothing on these wards.

"It was almost like it was a cell rather than a ward. My first bit of fundraising was to get a television for the ward."

Tracey, inspired by her late mother's charity work, started has also fundraised for the Christie Hospital in Manchester and Barnardo's Children's Charity.

She said: "My mum always said that everybody has a tale to tell. I love people. I see so many people who are less fortunate that others in lots of different ways.

"That feeling where you can walk away and feel like you've made a difference. It doesn't have to be huge, just any difference. It's really important to me."

Along with pulling a good pint, Tracey has helped make the Manchester's Gay Village a more inclusive place where anybody can be who they want to be.

Roxy Rivers, a drag queen who performs at New York, New York and good friend of Tracey, says she is a "selfless person" who "always puts others first."

Tracey is among four finalists nominated for the Pride of Britain Regional Fundraiser of the Year Award for the North West.

When asked how she feels about her nomination, she said: "I was so emotional. I don't do it for that, but it's really lovely to have the recognition."

Tracey has been flying the flag for the community here for decades; an ally, friend and tireless fundraiser.

What is Pride of Britain?

Pride of Britain Awards celebrate the achievements of truly remarkable people who make our world a better place.

Nominated by the public, the winners are from all walks of life, of all ages, and from all over the country. Their achievements are awe-inspiring and a lesson to us all. They say they are ordinary people, but their acts are truly extraordinary.

Since the first Pride of Britain in 1999, royalty, prime ministers, and hundreds of leading figures from showbiz, sport, politics and the arts have all taken part.

Hosted by Carol Vorderman, the Awards attract an audience of around five million viewers every year in a primetime slot on ITV - making it the highest rated awards show of its kind on British television.

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